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I've never been the biggest fan of "culinary mysteries", not quite understanding why they're so popular, buuuuuut, I've read mysteries with food themes (Phyllis Richman, Jerrilyn Farmer) so it's not like I'm against them either. If you like food-theme mysteries, and if you like cozies, I think you'll like Glutton for Punishment. It has a strong theme, a protagonist who thinks he's Hercule Poirot, food and antiques and small towns. The story is set in upstate New York (not a part of Upstate New York that I recognize, but then, I lived in the Albany area when I lived there...and there were no good restaurants of any kind decades ago) and Charly Poisson (which is fish in French, as I remember from high school) co-owns and cooks at La Fermette. His staff and cooks are a lovely collection of misfits including a stockbroker who's burned out and looking for a new way of life. There are deaths - a child-like woman who is leaving her abusive husband - and enmities - an antiques dealer who are angry years later about underpricing some antiques he sold to Charly. Feeling hesitant about it all, I did continue to read until the end, although I had little patience with many of the characters (that's a tendency of mine). Most readers won't mind what I see as "wise guy" stereotypes in a couple of the characters, nor will they be ready to bop Charly over the head for his over-the-top "everything good is French" behavior, or his putting up with a the restaurant's co-owner, a childish, spoiled stupid man who doesn't care about the restaurant but thinks he's cool and believes con men. I lost patience about three-quarters of the way through this book; the fact that it held my attention that long is a sign to me that Lamalle is talented and can pull in readers like me who are disinclined to read books like hers. For the foodies among us, this book is full of recipes. They didn't get me excited either, in part because as someone who knows food, I question recipes that involve four cups of liquid and pinches only of herbs (you won't taste a thing) and then of course, I'm not big on classical French cuisine and the very heavy on meat recipes in this book. But as I said before, that's me.
Reviewed by Andi Shechter, October 2000
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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